


Night Time Ramblings

by BiLaunchpad



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Based on a headcanon I had, Comfort, Donald Duck Needs a Hug, Gen, Let Donald talk about his feelings, Light Angst, Non-Canon Story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:26:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24917554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BiLaunchpad/pseuds/BiLaunchpad
Summary: He doesn't always feel like the best friend he could be.  Still, he can try to help however he can.
Relationships: Donald Duck & Storkules
Comments: 8
Kudos: 45





	Night Time Ramblings

Storkules sat at the top of Ithaquack, letting his legs hang off the side of the Pantheon. He was spending the night looking up at the stars, and into the vast expanse of darkness that mortals liked to call “space” that it filled. On nights as beautiful as these, Storkules liked to sit with his sister and watch her make the moon glow bright. They would laugh and talk about their favorite constellations until their father made them go to sleep. Sadly, that was not the case tonight.

Storkules has not seen his sister in over a year now, ever since the disappearance of her best friend, and sister of his best friend, Della Duck. Well, that wasn’t particularly true. Though it was true that Selene was still grieving the loss of Della, Storkules had seen her around the island in recent weeks. Their conversations had been limited to a quick “hi” or the occasional small talk about father. Storkules knew that it had only been a year since Della had been lost, but the gods perceived time differently than mortals. A day to them was just an hour to mortals. Still, Storkules was glad that his sister seemed to be starting to move on from the loss of Della Duck. However, Storkules still had another friend he was worried about.

Donald Duck, Storkules’s best friend, had not been in contact with the god since the day Della disappeared. While Storkules was confident in Donald’s abilities as an explorer, he’d never known him to be the type to deal with loss, nor express his feelings to anyone very well. Storkules was worried for his friend, but as his father stated multiple times to him and his sister, “The lives of mortals are not to be tampered with by the gods.” 

A storm grew in Storkules’s eyes, turning them dark and cloudy. “What kind of friend am I,” Storkules said, “if I can’t even help mine own best one?”

The sudden sound of a boat beaching on the sands of the island caught Storkules’ attention. Looking down at the shoreline, he could make out through the darkness that it was Donald’s boat. The boat was more worn than the last time he had seen it though. Nevertheless, Storkules ran down the island to meet his friend on this glorious night.

“Friend Donald!” Storkules knocked on the door to Donald’s cabin. “Friend Donald, are thou in thy cabin?” No response. Storkules was starting to wonder if this boat wasn’t actually Donald’s and if some adventurers had returned once again to give back his father’s lightning bolt. Father kept saying it was being stolen, but Storkules knew that his father was much more forgetful than he liked to think he was.

Storkules turned to leave, but the soft sound of an “Up here” drew his attention to the top of the boat. There Donald sat, much calmer than his usual spunky demeanor. Climbing up to the top of the boat, Storkules watched Donald tap on the spot next to him, which he took as a gesture to join.

“So friend Donald, what is thou doing on this fine evening,” Storkules asked, unable to hide his now piercing, bright blue eyes. 

Donald didn’t answer. Instead, he laid down, and let the sound of the waves crashing into the shore resonate around him and the larger bird. The two sat in silence for what felt like hours, until Donald sat up. “Y’know, it's been one year since Della disappeared.”

“Oh.” Storkules didn’t know how to comment. As much as he liked her, the two hadn’t been particularly close.

Donald gave a small laugh. “It’s okay, I know you two weren’t as close as the rest of us. It’s just—” Donald inhaled deeply and sighed “—this last year has been a bit of a rush. I lost my sister, my uncle, and l gave up everything to raise her kids. I… it’s just been shitty.”

Silence hung between the two again. Storkules felt stumped at how to help his friend feel better, and more importantly why he was telling Storkules this now. He wanted to offer Donald a place to stay on Ithaquack, but Donald made it very clear his personality wouldn’t assimilate well with other inhabitants.

“I don’t think I can do it Storkules.”

Storkules gave Donald a quizzical look, “Do what?”

“Raise them. I don’t think I can raise them anymore.” 

“But… they're your nephews, aren’t they?”

“Yeah, they are. But I can’t parent them. I barely survived the last year with them. I’ve gotten probably an hour's worth of sleep over the last week, can’t find a job that will let me change my hours to accommodate for the kids, and above all…”. Donald paused, wiping the tears from his eyes. “Above all, I’m a failure.”

Storkules gasped. “But you’re the great Donald! Conqueror of the ocean, Braver of all things mythical, one of the great Three Caballeros!” Storkules grabbed Donald by the shoulders and shook him. “You’re my best friend!”

Donald softly pushed Storkules’s arms off of him. He leaned his head against Storkules’ bicep and laughed, though it sounded more like a nervous chuckle. “Thanks for the flattery, but I don’t think I’ll ever be as great as you say. I’m the nephew of a washed-up billionaire, the brother who couldn’t save his sister, the uncle who can’t provide for his nephews, and the man who can’t keep a job for more than a month because of my anger. I’m nowhere close to great Storkules. I’m…I’m…” Donald started sobbing, letting his emotions take over. Every single feeling he’d bottled up during the last year washed over him in a fit of sadness and grief. For the first time since Della’s disappearance, Donald allowed himself to feel. And it didn’t feel like a bad thing.

Storkules raised his arm, and allowing Donald’s head to rest on his lap, placed it on top of his side. He rubbed Donald’s side softly. Slowly but surely, the younger duck cries calmed down to a sniffle.

“Do you remember,” Storkules asked in a soft, low tone, “the day it snowed on Ithaquack?”

“Y-yeah.” Donald wiped his beak. “It was back when we were kids, wasn’t it?”

Storkules nodded. “Father said that we were allowed one day of snow. It was the first time Selene and I had ever seen it. Truly, a most magnificent and beautiful experience it was. That day, your family had decided to come over as well. Your sister suggested that we play what you mortals called a ‘snowball fight’.” Storkules have a hearty laugh. “Looking back, the event itself was nothing more than a play fight between children. But to a small Storkules, it was war. You and I fought valiantly against mine and your sisters, but in the end, we became outnumbered. I, as noble as I was, had become nervous and began to cry. I believed that we had lost and had no way of winning. But you, brave Donald, you were the most confident I’d seen you all day.” Storkules stopped rubbing Donald’s side. “Do you remember what you told me then?”

Donald laid quietly in Storkules’s lap. “No. No I… I don’t recall.”

“You grabbed my shoulder, looked me in the eye and said—” Storkules picked Donald’s head off his lap and sat him up in front of him “—These. Ducks. Don’t. Back. Down.”

“I think about that quote every day Donald. It’s a quote that gives me the strength to do whatever task I feel is too hard. And I think it’s time you start using it too.”

“You can find a job. You can become the parent Della would’ve been. Nothing can stop you as long as you remember those words.”

Donald looked down, avoiding Storkules’s gaze. “And what if I can’t? What if it doesn’t help and I’m stuck again?”

Storkules paused, then grabbed Donald and pulled him into his embrace. It wasn’t a bear hug like he usually did. This one was soft, gentle, one that was meant to be given to someone in need of comfort. “Then you’ll always have me, friend Donald.”

Donald hugged Storkules back and the silence between the two was once again in the air. But this time, it wasn’t the awkward silence that had been there before. No, this silence was one of understanding, of empathy, for a friend who’d lost so much.

The next morning Storkules found himself lying alone on the beach. Donald’s boat was gone, along with any trace that the duck had been there mere hours beforehand. Storkules smiled, he knew his friend had always been a fan of the Irish goodbye. Still, Storkules could sense that he had Donald’s thanks for earlier that morning. At least he was back to his old self. 

A part of himself wished to continue lying on the beach and allow the sound of waves crashing into the island lull him into a deep slumber. Instead, he wiped the sand off his legs and made his way back up the hillside. “Maybe someday,” he thought, “we’ll be able to hangout again. For old times sake.”


End file.
